The Arbor Hospice patient had shared her life story in a conversation with her daughter, and the
video camera was turned off.
She moved to a nearby chair where she looked out a large window at the softly falling snow. Jean accepted a glass of wine, and I took a seat across from her.
She had mentioned during the videotaping that social justice was important to her, and we talked a bit about its origins in her life and how she continued to be engaged with these issues in this her 10th decade.
“It’s a wonderful world when people share love and care for one another,” she said.
Jean had mentioned that she wrote poetry, and I asked about it.
She offered to recite a recently-composed two-line poem:
“The long, dark corridor of life narrows at the end. And those whose ego grew too tall will have to learn to bend.”
I share this story with you to remind us that we can be meaningfully engaged with life until its very end, a gift of possibility and hope that hospice patients offer us which enriches the quality of our own days, however many they may be.
This blog entry was written by Dennis Sparks, Arbor Hospice volunteer. You can contact Dennis by commenting below or emailing him at thinkingpartner@gmail.com
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